Human trafficking illustration
Photo courtesy Hadassah

The San Diego Rotary Club will present more than $45,000 in grants geared toward in-service human trafficking prevention teacher training at its weekly luncheon Thursday.

The organization will present ceremonial checks to representatives from San Diego Unified School District, San Marcos Unified School District and Sweetwater Union High School District.

Media may attend the event that begins at noon at the Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego. The meeting will end by 1:30 p.m.

The proceeds came from club members as well as the Rotary Club of San Diego Foundation, the organization that supports the work of the San Diego Rotary, the fourth largest Rotary Club in the world.

An estimated 3,000 to 8,000 human trafficking victims – mostly teenagers of U.S. citizenry – exist within San Diego, fueling the illicit $810 million industry, according to researchers. Each trafficker generates approximately $670,000 through the forced coercion of their captives.

“We believe that human trafficking is greatly impacting our local youth, and we want to support the education of teachers to recognize the victims and take action to prevent ongoing abuse,” said David Oates, president of San Diego Rotary. “Doing so is also in line with our mission to drive unmatched impact at home and around the world.”

Interested parties submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) to San Diego Rotary last October. San Diego Unified, San Marcos Unified and Sweetwater Unified School Districts received grant notification last month.
“While dozens of dedicated government, law enforcement, and nonprofit organizations focus on assisting survivors, helping educators recognize and educate their students to the dangers of falling victim to this dark world requires additional attention,” Oates said. “Our more than 500 members spanning four generations stand ready here and everywhere we can to do so, and in the process raise awareness to this scourge.”